State mulls Andhra-style new corporation for outsourced workers

HYDERABAD: Congress govt is contemplating floating a separate corporation to bring all outsourced employees under one umbrella. This move is aimed at helping the outsourced employees to avoid interface of third party agencies and also ensure better working conditions for them, sources said.
After YSR Congress took over power in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, its govt floated Andhra Pradesh Corporation for Outsourced Services (APCOS).A team of officials may visit AP to study the functioning of APCOS, its working, rules and regulations.
A recent CAG report also mentioned that there were several revenue leaks in the departments on different accounts, causing loss to govt exchequer.
“If a new corporation is floated, all the financial mismanagement can be checked,” said sources.
Sources said there are about 10 lakh outsourced employees in the state in different departments and are employed thorough private agencies and salaries are paid by these agencies. Their salary bill alone runs into crores of rupees.
Drivers, housekeepers, operators and supervisors are hired through third party agencies. In many departments, it has been found that agencies are paying less salaries to these employees. Congress now wants to resolve this issue as jobs was one of the focus areas in its election manifesto.
After APCOS was floated in AP, a code was given to each employee. Sources said recruitment will be centralised here and agencies would not get involved in the process.
Some time back, health department officials also studied the possibility of merging Vaidya Vidhana Parishat with govt. A team of officials visited AP and gave a positive report about the proposed merger.
It would help employees get their salaries in time as Vaidya Vidhana Parishat is a registered society, a source said.